Daytona 500 2008

Counting the days till the big race. Jumping for joy cause my boy JJ took pole position yesterday. Not betting on him winning though. This is the 50th
running at the Daytona 500 .
So post your thoughts on this seasons new cars (Toyota), new Drivers, new teams...and your predictions for the winner of the race and who will have a
good season.

I like short tracks, you'll see more wrecks,
An' about a million screamin' rednecks.
An' ol' Jeff Burton, ha, an' poor Mike Skinner,
Well, they've done forgot what it's like to be a winner.
An' Ken Schrader still ain't sure who his sponsors are.
Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, I love NASCAR.

**"Hey, that was a close one up there boys.
**"Bout got into one there."
**"I might pull over right up here next pitstop,
"I want you to get two right front tires"
"I need a wedge on the left side to keep this windshield playin' on the gas.
"An' you don't care, hand me a pair of underwear, I have messed all in my drawers."

I like football. (I like football.)
I like my wrestlin'.
I like a good game of air hockey,
I like some ping pong now an' then.
How about you, Toby?

I love NASCAR, it's my kind of race.
Just to see Big E back on the track,
Would put a smile on every face.
No-one drove a car quite like Earnhardt.
Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, I love NASCAR.

The 11 P1, the 20 P2, not bad at all... Tires are going to be trouble on long runs in the 500. Pick for the NCTS tomorrow at 7:30PM EST? Johnny B
followed by Hornaday. The truck racing is always real... my favorite.

Junebug is proving he is worth his weight Vic. Not happy with JJ, but I understand it's about the 500 and saving the car for that.Would be VERY
unrealistic for me to expect him to win all the time.
He's my fav, but I'm just not feeling a win here Vic. It's a different car than the one they were going to use first off, and something is wrong. I
don't know what it is...just something.
I hope he finishes Top ten. That's all.
Go Jimmie Go! (As my four year old daughter says...)

Knaus has some tricks he ain't sharing with LeTarte or the other "other Junior" (Eury)... Has to do with springs and shocks and rear brake duct
work and air management beneath the car. I look for a Hendricks 1-2-3, 48, 24, 88... 4th and 5th is frequently occupied by a "wild card". Remember
when Cope won? No? Well he did... that wasn't part of the script though... Derrick who? Like that.

Gotta gorf vittles and "go for a wee car ride", Oui, wheeee! We of "I". I love being scared #-less. Gonna be a little busy on the 401... out past
Oshawa, tank'll last to Trenton. It was SOOO hard to lock the door to her dressing room... had to change the lock! I don't know babes... it was fine
a week ago. Wink.

Just a bump for those may wish to watch the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at &:20PM Eastern on Speed or it can be watched on the net using
TVUPlayer at channel 53060. They have a whole lot of webchannels... more all the time. It's a night race.

Watch for Johnny Benson in the 23 Toyota to move from the back very gradually over the course of the race. Oh, ladies! Erin Crocker in the 46 Chevy
Silverado. Benson is my pick to win.

The truck racing is actually very fast. Practice times in the draft are comparable to Winston, 'er, Nextel, 'er Sprint Cup... and the racing is a
bit more physical at times.

Oh geez Vic..for sure Chad has somethin' he's not sharin'. Whatever it is ..IT WORKS.
I still don't feel a win here. I might buy 4th. No higher. Perhaps Iam losing a bit of faith here. I mean really how many times can one guy win?
Look for Jeff Gordon to be racing hard. Watching him in the Gatoraid Duel, that man is out for blood. Junebug too... looking to race that new car
hard. He says it's harder to drive but he seemed to handle it good enough.
Two drivers I cannot stomach...Gordon and Stewart. One is just a pretty boy with an attitude..the other just has WAY too much attitude.Sorry Tony, but
you just don't own the track OK?
As for a finish...I'm feeling an underdog here.Not sure who.But it's time for a change.Unless they really are using WWE tactics. That would be
sad.
If so.. I'll switch to PINKS! All Out. Real life drag racing.

The next thing NASCAR must address is the fuel pump situation and the lack of proper interrupts upon fuel system components. The 18 gallon fuel cell
is about right. Block mount or cable drive... both systems suck in a big hit. I do like the racing in NCTS. Carb and pushod motors.

It'd be really cool if NASCAR went away from the rules that discourage engineering creativity. Diesels are very, very cool. The Peugeot and the
Audi... well they run really, really clean and very, very well.

I'm just miffed they outlawed... the 426, the Superbird and Daytona Charger, made small blocks mandatory, outlawed cam and valve configuration
changes, ignored EFI and any semblance of progress in safety until too late too many times, introduced restrictor plates, body templates, shock rules,
went Hollywood, allowed Richard Petty to cheat and win in front of President Reagan, introduced competition yellows... single tire manufacturer,
forced out the single car team, RFID GD parts and the wholesale elimination of the "panel beaters" profession with the COT. Lotta folks out of
work... some are retraining. Lost art now. Hmmm, come to think of it lotta folks out of work these days in the NA auto biz.

Watch Benson win tonight by simply "being closest" till it counts. The guy is a hell of a strategist... whole family of great racers. But it's
racing... stuff happens. Benson just missed another wreck. P2. 10 to go.

Great finish to the truck race. Todd Bodine won in a Toyota! Toyota 1, 2, 3. That'll sell Tundras, Tundra, Tundrii? Hmm, what is the correct plural
for a herd of Tundra... Im not sure that's happened before. one, two, three... and at Daytona. Shrub P2, Johnny Benson P3. Hornaday and Skinner had
bad nights... PJ Jones fire will be on all the highlight reels. Great show.

The big show will be interesting despite Hendricks overwhelming overwhelmingness. The race for 4th and 5th is almost always a surprise at Daytona. For
years back those spots are almost more interested than the "winners podium" story lines. COT makes the team thing even worse... at least there are a
rule on how many teams one can run. Wink. Client teams.

The 48 will not "shoot up the hill" in corner 2 after the bump. One other car I've seen has that at full-tilt boogie. I can't say anything about
that because the aliens will change it if I tell. It's a secret. I don't know Jack.

JV is out of the 27! Skinner in the 27 for California! Story developing... Jacques may have thrown another hissy-fit... it's happened before. They do
have sponsor troubles (JV isn't exactly "fan friendly"... or even a "nice guy"). He could also have been hurt when he got "helped" into the
wall by John Andretti (Aldo's boy). Bye-bye, JV of www.jv-world.com... Ever watched his music videos? Yikes!

He "could" get the Peugeot ride for LeMans, again. Pollack ain't answering his phone. JV should be making a statement shortly... and then I'd
expect him to turn up in Monte Carlo or Switzerland.

I'm not disappointed that Skinner's gonna be in the car. Skinner had a good teacher way back - the best; "The 3."

Yes..I'm not surprised about our Canadian boy JV. Whadda ya gonna do?
There were a few being "Helped" into the wall yesterday. getting a "Darlington stripe" at Daytona. Need a new term for that. Quite the four car
pile up yesterday as well.I like Kahne as my back up fav driver.
What was that I caught the tail end of yesterday? That they can adjust the shocks a wee bit? Did I hear that right? Does that work well on the slope
track?
I suppose it must.
Man Vic...did you see the new Kid running the track...the 18 year old driving with the big boys? Way Kewl!
Iam not pleased about Stewart.Obviously. He wins well, but I don't like a man that throws a tantrum and fists flyin' when he doesn't get his own
way.
Saw a spark in Junebug yesterday too. Too bad about the 88 getting impounded. But he ran the 5 good. Real good. I believe I saw a bit of the old man
in him yesterday.Right at the last 10-15 laps of the race, I almost believed he was channeling the big E. Jr IS going to have a big year.
okey dokey..
I got my beer, my pizza, my munchies...I'm all set for today! BOOGITY, BOOGITY, BOOGITY BOYS! LET"S GO RACING!

Me? I'm fixin' to watch the 48 win. JV didn't get the boot because of being a wallflower testing the firmness and consistency of the safer
barrier... it's a secret... JV isn't a "fun" person.

Yes the shocks do have some sdjustment but the shocks are all RFID'd and sealed and issued by NASCAR. Watch the 48 and the RCR cars... they have the
back of the COT working. Watch hoow the 48 gets down on the bumpstops sooner and stays there longer... little warmer air around his Eibach springs
than some others. Wink... d30 bumpstops can be "cured" to to weird stuff.

Don't worry about Juney gettin' impounded... everybody visits Gary Nelson... he used to be chief wrench at Hendrick, wink. 6:30AM... drivers will be
up and about after no sleep... I'd be barfing, always did before a green flag. The usual 8 hour pre-game political and corporate ad-fest... oh well.
I hope the digital doesn't crap out again... I can get it OTA...

Anyway watch the 48 in this qualifying clip the front end takes a set when it "lands" in the corner and turns in great and is "almost' loose
off... perfect balance. Back follows the front AND finishes the corner. Nicely set up car...

Tire management will be important. Too much right front camber and pop goes the outer tire.

June Bug in '09. I'm superstitious or I'd say what I really thunk... oatmeal, pancakes and two-hours cold water training. Brrrr. Then some serious
drinking and BBQ'n.

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